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Science Media Centre NZ
Our aim is to promote accurate, evidence-based reporting on science and technology by helping the media work more closely with the scientific community.
The Science Media Centre is New Zealand's only trusted, independent source of information for the media on all issues related to science. Thousands of news stories providing context from and quoting New Zealand researchers have been published as a direct result of our work.
Science Media Centre NZ - Latest News [Page 2]
Fast-track Consenting Regime For Infrastructure And Development – Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 6 March 2024, 12:24 pm | Science Media Centre
The government will soon introduce a standalone Act to allow major infrastructure projects to bypass lengthy resource consenting processes. The fast-track regime is the next step of the coalition government’s RMA reform agenda. A full replacement ... More >>
Road Safety The Focus At Northland Fieldays 2024
Wednesday, 6 March 2024, 12:23 pm | Science Media Centre
Last week, representatives from the Northland Transportation Alliance, Auckland Transport, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), NZ Police, ACC, Tasman District Council, and Te Manatū Waka Ministry of Transport took to Dargaville to talk to ... More >>
Ultra-processed Foods Linked To 32 Health Issues – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 29 February 2024, 3:14 pm | Science Media Centre
A new research review reports links between greater consumption of ultra-processed foods and an increased risk of 32 damaging health outcomes, with the most convincing evidence pointing to higher risks of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and ... More >>
Bird Flu Arrives In Mainland Antarctica - Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 28 February 2024, 1:06 pm | Science Media Centre
The H5N1 virus continues its global spread, having recently been found for the first time ever in mainland Antarctica. Avian flu reached the wider Antarctic region in October last year when it was reported on sub-Antarctic islands. Since 2021, highly ... More >>
EPA Says ‘null Segregants’ Aren’t GMOs – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 22 February 2024, 3:01 pm | Science Media Centre
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has just clarified that certain organisms, known as null segregants, are not considered genetically modified organisms. Null segregants are the offspring of genetically modified organisms, but do not contain ... More >>
First UN Report On The State Of The World’s Migratory Species – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 15 February 2024, 3:46 pm | Science Media Centre
A landmark UN report paints a grim picture of the state of migratory wild animals worldwide, including those that travel through New Zealand, like sharks, whales, albatross, and sea turtles. The report was launched at the meeting for the Convention ... More >>
Port Hills Fire - Expert Reaction
Thursday, 15 February 2024, 3:40 pm | Science Media Centre
Fire crews are responding to a large vegetation fire in the Port Hills near Christchurch. Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) was alerted to the fire at 2.15pm on Wednesday 14 February. The SMC asked experts to comment. Dr Nathanael ... More >>
Regulating Genetic Technologies In Aotearoa - Expert Q&A
Thursday, 15 February 2024, 3:35 pm | Science Media Centre
Dr Revel Drummond, Scientist, Plant & Food Research Ltd, comments: What implications would the shift to a new biotechnology regulator have for the legal and policy landscape around genetic technologies in NZ? "Currently, ... More >>
Talk Of ‘one-in-100-year’ Weather Can Be Disastrously Misleading – Expert Q&A
Monday, 12 February 2024, 2:58 pm | Science Media Centre
Record rainfall and flooding caused by Cyclone Gabrielle across Hawkes Bay has been frequently described as a ‘one-in-100 year’ event. With the cyclone’s anniversary this week, the SMC asked a social psychologist and emergency management expert how ... More >>
Faster Tropical Cyclones In A Warming World – Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 7 February 2024, 2:07 pm | Science Media Centre
In some parts of the world, a Category 5 hurricane signifies the most extreme wind speeds starting at 252 km/h. New research published in PNAS looks into why creating a new Category 6 could help capture just how much more intense the biggest tropical ... More >>
New Recycling Rules – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 1 February 2024, 3:42 pm | Science Media Centre
All of Aotearoa will follow the same guidelines for what to put in their kerbside recycling bins from today. The new national guidelines replace the previous system of patchwork rules across different regions. The SMC asked experts to comment . Dr ... More >>
‘Forever Chemical’ PFAS Banned From Cosmetics – Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 30 January 2024, 5:17 pm | Science Media Centre
The EPA is banning the use of per– and polyfluoroalkyl substances in cosmetic products from the end of 2026. These “forever chemicals” are difficult to break down and can build up in the body and the environment over time. The EPA says New ... More >>
Improving Large Earthquake Forecasting – Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 29 November 2023, 9:48 am | Science Media Centre
New overseas research reports how unique seismic signals were picked up eight months before this year’s massively destructive earthquake in Türkiye, and that these findings may improve our ability to forecast some future large earthquakes. On 6 ... More >>
Fonterra Sets On-farm Emissions Targets – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 9 November 2023, 5:43 pm | Science Media Centre
Dairy co-operative Fonterra has released its plan to reduce on-farm emissions, aiming to reduce its emissions intensity by 30% by 2030. The dairy giant is New Zealand’s largest greenhouse gas emitter , and around 86 percent of these emissions come from ... More >>
The Hunga-Tonga Eruption Rapidly Depleted The Ozone Layer – Expert Reaction
Friday, 20 October 2023, 10:57 am | Science Media Centre
The 2022 Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha’apai volcanic eruption shot out an unprecedented amount of water vapour into the sky, reaching heights of up to 55km and depleting 5% of the ozone layer in some regions in just one week. New research published in ... More >>
Deadly Bird Flu Outbreaks Are Starting In New Places – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 19 October 2023, 2:16 pm | Science Media Centre
Deadly bird flu virus outbreaks are now starting in places outside Asia, including in Europe and Africa, suggesting a shift in the global distribution of the viruses, according to new international research. The deadly H5N1 virus first ... More >>
Covid-19 Subvariant ‘Pirola’ Detected In NZ – Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 10 October 2023, 12:06 pm | Science Media Centre
ESR has detected the highly mutated COVID-19 variant BA.2.86 – known as ‘Pirola’ – in New Zealand wastewater samples taken earlier this month. The Omicron subvariant has been declared a ‘variant under monitoring’ by the World Health Organization, ... More >>
New Space Companies Face Their First Solar Maximum – Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 10 October 2023, 12:05 pm | Science Media Centre
With the next solar maximum on the horizon – where solar activity peaks – new space players are operating in an environment unlike what they have seen before, according to authors of a recently published editorial in the journal Space Weather. ... More >>
New Zealand Police Will Be Trialing Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) On Two High Profile Cold Cases.
Tuesday, 10 October 2023, 11:57 am | Science Media Centre
FIGG combines DNA testing with genealogical research to analyse genetic relationships between individuals who share very small amounts of inherited DNA with the crime scene DNA sample, using genealogy databases and publicly available records. In 2020, ... More >>
Windy, Hot And Dry Weather Will Be More Likely For Regions In Aotearoa This Summer.
Tuesday, 10 October 2023, 11:54 am | Science Media Centre
The climate pattern known as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, or ENSO for short, was officially declared locally by NIWA this month. With ENSO the country will see dramatic temperture swings and stronger than usual winds. Prevailing ... More >>
